7 things you should do EVERY day to stave off dementia

Memory boost: Seven things you should do every day to stave off dementia.

The SAGE test can identify mild brain decline before other symptoms become obvious

Those with scores of 15 or 16 are likely to have mild cognitive impairment, and people with scores of 14 or less are likely to have dementia.

Doing the test for the first time represents the ‘baseline’ from which future changes in score can be monitored.

The university found that community-based SAGE screening for the over-50s was feasible. Researchers found that they could screen a large number of people in the community, fairly easily, using the test.

The study screened 1,047 people over the age of 50. The average SAGE score in that group was 17.8.

Based on the test results, 71.6 of respondents had normal cognition, 10.4 percent had mild mental decline, and 18 percent had dementia.

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The SAGE test makes it easy to keep track of differences in scores over time

The NHS noted that this test alone cannot formally diagnose Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia.

There is no single test for the disease, but GPs in the UK often favour the General Practitioner Assessment of Cognition (GPCOG), which may show up memory issues that need further investigation.

At least 820,000 people in the UK have dementia, with more than half suffering from Alzheimer’s.

Someone with early signs of dementia may lose interest in hobbies and become passive, sleeping more than usual or sitting in front of the television for hours, Alzheimer’s Disease International states.